NEWARK — Officials from Rochester General Health System and Newark-Wayne Community Hospital, in partnership with DaVita Healthcare Partners, Inc., cut the ribbon last week on the Newark-Wayne Dialysis Center.

The new center is the second to open in Newark. The West Shore Dialysis Center opened in August on West Shore Boulevard.

The facility at 1120 S. Main St. houses 14 dialysis stations, equipped with heated chairs, personal televisions and WiFi, including one private treatment room. Each station has state-of-the-art equipment in dialysis technology. The large main room has a nurses station and a call system so that a nurse can be reached no matter where she is inside the building. Two nurses and two care technicians will be staffed at all times when the center is open. Two private rooms allow for home training of dialysis treatment for qualified patients and an exam room so patients can visit with their doctor right at the facility.

The lobby offers seating and television for family members waiting during treatment.

“RGHS has been a leader in providing outpatient dialysis in the Rochester Region,” said Dr. Marvin Grieff, medical director at the Newark-Wayne Dialysis Center. “For each of our centers, delivering superior patient care close to where our patients live has been a top priority. We chose to partner with DaVita for the Newark center due to their proven record in partnering with other hospitals to provide excellent care for dialysis patients throughout the U.S., especially in the more rural setting.”

All services are provided by board-certified nephrologists and a highly skilled team, said the hospitals.

The new center answers a growing need for dialysis treatment in the area, where patients have had to often travel upwards of an hour to receive treatment, said Katherine Rogala, vice president of ambulatory services for Rochester General Health System, which owns Newark-Wayne. Dialysis can take anywhere from 2 to 4 hours per treatment, making the long drive a hardship. Partnering with DaVita, she added, only made sense. DaVita is a leading provider of kidney care in the United States, delivers dialysis services to patients with chronic kidney failure and end-stage renal disease with over 2,000 centers across the U.S.

Sue Jessen, local regional operations director for DaVita, took the lead in selecting a prime location, filing paperwork with the state and overseeing the three months of renovations at the Newark Center. Today (Oct. 30), the state will perform its final inspection, and it is expected to then open in early November, Jessen said.

Preparations are now being made to transfer patients to the Newark facility, bringing them closer to home. For more information, contact the Newark-Wayne Dialysis Center at 331-6958.